Brothers At Arms
by Senashenta
Summary: A fire in Haven brings a young man into the Collegium for medical treatment, and Companion Harlan has a particular interest in him. Because Harlan's Chosen, Morgan, seems drawn to the other boy. A lifebond? But Morgan isn't shaych...
1. Harlan and his Chosen

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**Notes:** Another POV-Companion fic! =^-^= This time I decided to be a male Companion, though. It's hard to write from a Companion's point of view anyway, but writing from the POV of the opposite sex will be… interesting. (I can't make things easy for myself, can I? Of course not. That would be… uh… easy. Oi.)

**BROTHERS AT ARMS  
Chapter One: Harlan and his Chosen. (Who has a death wish, apparently.)  
By Senashenta**

I was bored. I was also cold and wet. And _bored_.

And up to my chest in the Terilee river in the middle of October, which was _probably_ why I was cold and wet. I had been standing there, not moving, for just under a candlemark. Did I mention that I was bored? Oh well. I knew I had to get out soon, anyway, or my hooves would get soft and I'd be a cripple for the rest of my life.

Until then, I was supposed to stand still.

Sigh.

I tipped my head to the side and eyed my Chosen, who was currently standing on my back, looking utterly ridiculous as he attempted to scoop fish from the river with a net while trying not to fall into the—_cold!_—water.

_:Morgan, can I move now? Please?:_

He gave me a distracted wave of his hand, teetered, and managed to catch his balance again. "Not yet, Harlan."

_:But my hooves!:_ I whined. No, Companions are not above whining. _:They'll get mushy and I'll have to be spoon-fed for the rest of my life!:_

"What does having mushy hooves have to do with being spoon fed?"

_:Well… maybe not _spoon _fed, but I won't be able to walk and you'll have to do everything for me.:_

Morgan rolled his eyes as he stabbed the net he was holding into the water. The fish he had been aiming for darted out of the way at the last possible second and he gave an annoyed snort. "Okay, so I'll give you a pedicure when I'm done. Would that make you happy, oh Vain One?"

_:It has nothing to do with vanity. It's strictly a health and safety matter.:_ I told him, _:but yes, that _would_ make me happy as a matter of fact.:_

On the riverbank, Nova nickered, giggling, and Tobias snickered. I aimed a sapphire glare in their direction, only to be rewarded by innocent eyes from both of them. They had come to watch Morgan make a fool out of himself, I was sure. They never missed an opportunity to do so, after all.

Really, it wasn't in a negative way. Tobias—_Toby_ to most of us—was the closest thing to family, aside from myself of course, that Morgan had ever had. That was mostly because of him having grown up in an entertainment troupe.

Which, in fact, was also the reason why I was in the predicament I found myself in at the time. He hadn't been part of the troupe for months, damn it, and still he insisted of performing these ridiculous stunts. Sure, he called them "training exercises", but that made no difference to me.

Because, as I've already stated, I was bored.

Bored and cold. And wet. And bored.

And _whiny_, apparently.

_:You look slightly annoyed, Harlan.:_

I eyed Nova mentally, my mind poking at hers as if my crystal blue orbs were actually fixed pointedly on her. _:Perceptor, Captain of the Obvious.:_ I said dryly and with so much sarcasm it practically took on a life of it's own, _:your powers of deduction amaze me.:_

She laughed again.

I continued to glare.

Morgan continued to stand on my back like an idiot, having decided that trying to catch fish from that vantage point would be a good for his balancing skills. Why? I didn't know. I _never_ knew why he was going to do something of the like. I mean, he was going to let all the fish go again, anyway.

A slightly strange boy, my Chosen.

Served me right for traipsing into a traveling faire to Choose.

Sigh again.

_:Companions don't regret their Choice, remember?:_

Thank you, Nova.

I shivered involuntarily, making Morgan teeter dangerously. I could Feel his surprise, and practically see him trying desperately not to fall from my back, even though I wasn't looking at him.

"Hey!"

_:Sorry.:_

I wasn't really.

…

Have you ever had a decision to make? One that should be easy, but you over-think and manage to make infinitely complex in doing so, much to your own annoyance in the end?

I was currently faced with that conundrum.

I was cold, wet, and bored, as I said.

I most definitely wanted out of the Terilee.

To dump Morgan in the river, or not to dump Morgan in the river?

That was the question, all right.

If I didn't, he might make (and by _make_ I actually mean _ask_, since he would never force me to do anything because he knows he can coerce me into doing whatever he wants just by giving me his puppy eyes) me stay in the water for yet another candlemark, while he scared the fish silly and gave Nova and Toby an endless source of entertainment.

If I did, he might never speak to me again (as I was perfectly aware that he didn't like soggy clothing) or drown (despite the fact that he was such a good swimmer he might as well have been born an otter). And neither snubbing nor death seemed a good idea.

…

I was _cold_, damn it!

And, as I stated, Morgan was quite a good swimmer.

So was Toby, for that matter, and he was sitting only a few yards away…

That did it.

Without a single word of warning, I shrugged and started toward the riverbank. Morgan uttered a surprised yelp, and as I turned my head slightly I could see his arms flailing wildly from the corner of my eye. The net was forsaken immediately as he tried to regain his balance, and vanished under the freezing river, probably never to be heard of again.

Meh.

He hit the water with a mighty _splash!_ that showered the Terilee around him and got a good amount of it on myself as well. Okay, so my plan to escape backfired. On the bank, Toby was in stitches and Nova was trying to keep her mental giggles to herself, but was only half-successful.

I leveled a flat look on them from under my dripping forelock.

Behind me, Morgan sputtered and splashed and choked and generally made a nuisance of himself while I tried to impress on everyone just how _un_impressed I was with Nova and her Chosen at that given moment.

"_Harlan!_"

The shriek that sounded from Morgan echoed across the Field and made me lay my ears back. My hide twitched involuntarily, a Companion's version of a wince. Or a blush. Or a start of surprise, which is actually along the same lines as a wince. Really, hide twitching is a natural response for a lot of reasons when it comes to us.

In any case, at the particular moment, I twitched because I couldn't really wince and his shout had been ear piercing to say the least. That was the only reason I turned my angry eyes away from the terribly amused onlookers, whom were still laughing as if my having tossed Morgan off my back was the funniest thing they had ever seen.

I have to admit, I was forced to stifle a chuckle myself when I finally gathered the courage to turn and look at my Chosen once more. He looked absolutely miserable, soaked to the skin and up to his shoulders in the Terilee, with his shaggy gold-brown hair sticking to his face. He was forced to strain against the current, too. He wasn't nearly as heavy as me (I'd forgotten about that), and it threatened to sweep him completely off of his feet and downstream, probably not to be found until the spring thaw.

I pondered that for a moment.

Frozen Chosen. Hm.

It wasn't as funny as I found it at the time.

He didn't have to say anything for me to know that he was… less than pleased, and I gave him my best imitation of an adorable little Companion. Meaning I blinked innocently and Projected a lovable aura toward him.

I wasn't completely successful, but I could Sense his anger giving way to amusement, despite the fact that he was still shivering and his best friend continued to laugh at him to the point of tears and cramps. He was still aggravated, but he forgave me so everything was fine again.

"I take it," he said dryly, "that you would like to go back to the stables now."

I nodded emphatically, snorting and blowing water droplets in his direction. I was rewarded with a heavy sigh and a quirk of his lips as I continued to give him Baleful Harlan Eyes.

_:I need to be groomed, and I've got just the right person in mind for the job.:_

"Alright, alright."

He shivered again and splashed a handful of water toward me, then began sloshing toward the bank, where Toby waited to haul him out of the river. I, on the other hand, was on my own to drag myself out of the water and I complained loudly about having to heave myself up onto the land. Not that anyone paid attention to my grumbling, but I muttered anyway.

Once I was out I shook, spraying water from my mane and tail and generally soaking everyone in the vicinity. Nova whuffed and have me an irritated look as she danced out of the way. Toby and Morgan both yelped and scrambled to distance themselves.

Funny, but after _everyone_ was wet and cold I felt a lot better.

It didn't improve my popularity, though, as the four of us—all soggy and wanting nothing more than warmth and food and possibly blankets—headed back across Companion's Field toward the stables. I was pleased that Morgan would have to groom me before going inside and warming himself up.

Maybe next time he'd think before dragging me off to be a footstool for his _training_… or whatever it was. Not only was I not impressed with being used as common furniture, but winter fishing wasn't my idea of a good time. I decided that Morgan could find himself _another_ chair next time.

"Are you _actually_ angry with me?"

I flicked an ear toward him and sighed. _:Not really.:_ I admitted, _:but I don't want to go swimming like that again any time soon, if it's alright with you. Can't you train in your room or something?:_

"What could I _possibly_ do in my room?"

_:I hear meditation is a good way to relieve stress and prepare for things.:_

"What _things_?"

_:Uh… classes and other stuff?:_

"I see."

He didn't sound convinced, but I could tell he had resigned himself to finding someone else to help with his fishing-while-performing-trick-riding fiascoes. I wished he would find a healthier hobby, as he was beginning to turn a lovely shade of blue and his teeth were chattering by the time we reached the stables.

I looked at him appraisingly. _:Chosen, go inside and get changed and bother Chef into giving you a warm cup of cider.:_

He had been rubbing his arms, but paused when I said it. "Are you sure?"

Damn my kind heart.

_:Yes.:_

I was doomed to be cold and wet and bored forever.

Morgan patted my neck and scratched behind my ear, and I found that I just couldn't be annoyed with him. Sometimes I wished he had been slightly less lovable than he was, which would have made being stern-and-or-angry with him infinitely easier. I rolled my eyes and nosed his shoulder.

_:Just go before I change my mind and make you stay.:_

He laughed, and I watched him dash out into the nippy autumn air, heading for the Collegium as fast as his legs could carry him. After a second, Toby waved amiably and followed, leaving Nova and I to our mystical Companion complaining.

In the back of my mind, Morgan's presence was relatively happy, and, as I mentioned, I couldn't stay upset with him there. His thoughts kept me cheerful most of the time, actually. He had always been an optimistic person, for which I counted myself lucky. Some Chosen, I knew, were more inclined to depression than others, and their Companions tended to be more negative because of it.

Teague, for example…

Dorenda's Foresight kept her in an almost perpetually worried state, as it seemed only to pick up terribly tragedies. No weather problems. No miniscule events. Only death and destruction and the like.

On the outside, she appeared to be a normal child, the same age as Morgan and Toby and in their year group, even, and a good friend of theirs. But underneath Dori was always in turmoil, and Teague spent a good many sleepless nights consoling her after particularly bad dreams.

Frankly, they were lucky that her Gift hadn't driven her mad.

Very few people even knew about the secret pain that Dori endured, day in and day out. Teague, certainly, as he was her Companion, as well as myself and Nova. Morgan and Toby may have had an idea of what she dealt with, but couldn't know for sure as she refused to talk about it.

_:What are you thinking about?:_

I realized I had been woolgathering and glanced at Nova. We were both still standing just inside the stable doors, simply soaking up the warmth of the building and letting the heat dry us bit by bit.

_:Harlan? Hello?:_

_:Thinking about Dori.:_ I shook my head. _:Thanking my lucky stars that Morgan's Gifts are Farsight and Fetching and not Foresight like hers. I don't think I could handle him being as depressed as Teague tells us Dori is.:_

Nova have a sad sounding noise of agreement. _:I feel badly for the poor child. Toby's Foresight is slight enough that it rarely ever manifests, so I don't have the same problems… though I have to admit that Firestarting can be more than a little troublesome at times.:_

_:I can imagine.:_

Images of Nova with a flat and unamused expression on her face and her tail emitting a choking tendril of smoke flooded my mind and I chuckled at the memory. Nova seemed to catch what I was thinking and gave me a warning look.

He had only lit her tail once, after all, and it had been a complete accident.

(Or so he claimed.)

But Toby was a bit of a troublemaker, so I was inclined to believe that what he called an "accident" had been staged from the beginning. But as no one was hurt (and to be truthful, her hair hadn't actually been on fire so much as smoldering in a highly amusing way), they had accepted his excuses and apologies, and Nova had promptly put the entire ugly incident out of her mind.

It had taken a month for all of the singed hairs to grow out so that her tail appeared normal again.

Again, I counted myself lucky.

Though Morgan was a bit of a pain, sometimes, he wasn't likely to set fire to my hair. Thank the Gods. I sighed and sniffed a bit. My mane and tail were mostly dry and I wasn't nearly as cold as I had been; Nova appeared to be in the same situation, so I figured we'd be leaving the stables in a short time.

Though I might stay and borrow a stall for the night.

Cold Field… warm stable.

Hm.

Behind my main consciousness, I Sensed a sudden surprise from Morgan, and blinked. At the same time, Nova jumped and her ears flattened against her head, swiveled, flicked, and flattened again.

_:Toby's got something in his Foresight, I think.:_ She told me. _:Really vague, though… and definitely not good.:_

I immediately Reached out to Teague. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, as the images that were coming through Dori raced in his head, and, because I was there as well, though mine before I could even ask anything.

Fire. Smoke. Blistering heat. I was surrounded by flames—

_:Teague, what—?:_

_:Something terrible.:_ He gasped, and the images vanished as he clamped down on Dori's Gift and channeled it through himself, grounding it before it could do any damage to her. _:A fire in the upper class school district... in the business section of Haven…:_

I knew that much already, but I let him finish anyway.

_:People are dying, Harlan.:_ A pause and he simply repeated; _:people are dying.:_


	2. The Fire in Haven

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**Notes:** Um… behold my lack of notes! Ta-dah!

**BROTHERS AT ARMS  
Chapter Two: The Fire in Haven. (Yes, it's the one Lavan caused.)  
By Senashenta**

They set a goodly many of the Guard on the fire that Dori's Foresight caught, and I was told later that a handful of good samaritan types lent a hand as well. Still, it took them quite a while to put it out, almost as if something was pushing the flames onward despite the water they were pouring on it.

Dori was taken to Healers for a reaction headache from which she passed out, and given a room that was on the ground floor and large enough for Teague to stay with her and fret. Apparently, he was supposed to be helping to Shield her, but I doubted that he could get past his worry to do much good.

Stressed Companions are sometimes problematic.

Nova and I pondered whether or not to get someone to give _Teague_ medication as well. Not only was he probably suffering from as bad an ache as Dori, having grounded her Gift through himself, but it would (hopefully, though I can't be sure as I'm not really an expert in Healing) put him to sleep and get his borderline-hysterical thoughts out of the rest of our heads.

I knew it was selfish of me, considering what he and Dori had seen, to want them to drug him into unconsciousness, but, the Gods help me, he was so upset he was Broadcasting his worry throughout the entire Collegium.

What was the saying? More cheer in a Graveyard?

Something like that.

Morgan and Toby had gone to check on Dori, shortly after she was admitted to Healers, and had been chased out by the Senior. A wonderful woman, but when she was dealing with patients she was less than tolerant.

In any case, they left reluctantly and returned to their own respective duties or classes, occasionally poking at Nova or myself for updates. Which, of course, we willingly gave. Assuming we could make sense of Teague's rambling when we asked him about it.

_:—and she says that Dori's reaction seems worse than usual and it's probably because the Foresight picked up on something that was a lot closer to her than anything she's Seen in the past, so they've given her some concoction that will probably keep her asleep long enough for most of the pain to wear off, but while she's asleep they're going to keep working on her and if she's still in a lot of pain when she wakes up they can put Blocks up long enough to fix the problem, but the thing is that they haven't had a lot of experience dealing with Gift-reactions like hers because Gifts as strong as hers don't come along very often, so they aren't sure if the normal practices will help or if they'll have to try something else—:_

I had been listening to him babble in one long and confusing sentence for a good many minutes at that point, and I must admit I was on the verge of nodding off. Beside me, Nova seemed to be studying a flower that was poking out from the other side of the fence, and probably trying to decide if she was going to chance eating it or not.

My eyes on her must have caught her attention, as she glanced up at me and sighed while Teague continued to tell us about everything the Healers were saying and doing, and about everything that may or could happen in the future.

_:What do you think?:_ She asked, _:just get them to drug him to his eyeballs?:_

Though we had discussed that possibility already, I just couldn't bring myself to actually have him tranquilized. After all, I could understand his concerns… to a certain extent. Though I doubted I would have gotten quite as hysterical as he appeared to be.

_:Better not.:_ I advised Nova reluctantly, while Teague's nonstop stream of words kept flowing in the background, _:when he woke up again he'd be bent on revenge.:_ I pawed the grass thoughtfully, _:Teague may be a poet but I wouldn't want to get on his bad side.:_

We had seen him angry only once, when one of the Blues had tried something with Dori shortly after he had brought her back to the Collegium, and it had been a scary thing. The boy had found himself in the uncomfortable position of staring up at a raging Companion that was on the verge of pounding him into the dust. Teague had managed to restrain himself only because Dori had asked him to—but needless to say neither Nova nor I were jumping to see it again, especially if his wrath was directed toward one or both of _us_.

As a side note, the boy in question was subsequently expelled from the Blues and sent off to some work farm for a term. We assumed in the future he would take the word "no" at face value, for fear of being trampled into oblivion.

Personally, I thought he deserved whatever punishment Teague had been willing to deal out. But it hadn't been up to me and Dori had insisted he not be pummeled into the ground.

Honestly, I really didn't understand females. Of any species. Never had.

About that time Nova snorted and raised her head to level a sarcastic look at me, and I swear I backed up a step before she said; _:and you never will with that attitude, Harlan.:_

_:I… what?:_

Only then did I realize I had been thinking out loud. Oops.

I must have broadcast my surprise, because in the back on my head Morgan's mind nudged at mine and I got a questioning feeling. Or he might have been asking about Dori again.

Damn him for not having Thoughtprojecting. It was the most frustrating thing in the world – I could talk to him, but unless he was within speaking distance he couldn't do anything but send vague feelings to me.

Nova found it amusing.

Bah.

Just because she and Toby could Speak to each other any time…

Another questioning nudge from Morgan, and I decided to take a stab at what he wanted, instead of letting him poke at me all day. _:From what I can tell,:_ I told him, hoping it was the right answer, _:Dori's still out and won't wake up for a while yet. So you can stop bothering me any time, okay?:_

A moment of nothing, followed by an amused feeling and a handful of mental pokes and prods, all following each other in quick succession as he snickered away at my expense.

I rolled my eyes and shooed him away. _:You're supposed to be working on your Religions.:_

A distinct feeling of disappointment followed my admonishment, and then resignation as he set to work on his class once more.

Good Chosen.

_:—but I don't know if the medicine they're giving her will be enough, I mean I was hooked in with her so I know how bad this Flash was and she was hurting a lot before they put her out so… hey…:_

Worried that he had caught on to the fact that I was carrying on conversations and really not listening to him, I was instantly back to being Attentive Harlan as Teague's rambling trailed off.

Nova's ears flicked. _:Teague?:_

_:They're bringing people from the Fire in.:_

I took a minute to understand.

Oh.

The _fire_.

I hadn't forgotten about it for a moment, I swear.

_:What do you mean?:_

Teague paused, then; _:some of those kids from the fire survived, I guess. They're bringing them in to be treated.:_

_:Really?:_ Suddenly I was interested again. _:How many?:_

_:A few. Three or four maybe.:_

I couldn't really be sure why, but what he was saying really caught my attention. Nova, though, went right back to studying that flower while I pondered silently and Teague went back to fretting over Dori.

Kids from the fire…

For some reason, the fire had been of particular interest to most of us Companions. It just had a… _different_… feeling to it than most disasters we had heard about and dealt with in the past. None of us really knew why, but it did. And being the nosy creatures that we were, all of us with Chosen were digging through their heads for information within minutes of hearing about it (though only a few successfully managed to get anything.)

_:Toby says no one can explain it yet.:_

I blinked and turned by attention to Nova. _:What was that?:_

_:No one can explain the fire.:_ She had her head tilted to the side while she listened to her Chosen. _:Hm. Toby's talking to some of the other Heralds and they still don't know what caused it… they _have_ managed to put it out, though.:_

The first good thing I had heard in hours.

_:Do they know how many people were hurt?:_

Nova shook her head. _:Not sure. I think three or four died, though.:_

More bad news, making the good news seem insignificant. The fire was out, but people had died. Kids. Children. I gave a sad groan and closed my eyes. _:May the Bright Lady help and guide them.:_

_:Don't say that too soon,:_ she sniffed dryly, _:apparently it's starting to look like… well, there was a younger boy there and it's looking as if the other youths were bullying him.:_

_:Bullying?:_

_:He was pretty badly beaten, Toby says. He's one of the ones they took to Healers.:_

_:Uh… oh.:_

Suddenly I was torn, and I didn't like it. Children had been hurt while hurting another child. It was… wrong. I opened my eyes and twitched my nose, then flicked my tail. Beyond myself, I felt Morgan beginning to notice my confusion and sent him a silent reassurance.

"You know, that expression doesn't suit you Harlan."

Morgan?

My eyes went to the fence.

Morgan _and _Toby.

He grinned, "because of the fire they gave us the afternoon off. There's a lot of hectic scrambling going on right now and all the full Heralds and Healers were needed for other things besides teaching."

I gave him a flat look and watched while he climbed up to the top of the fence and balanced on the top railing for a moment, holding his arms out to keep from falling. He was _far_ to graceful. And I admit I was jealous. When I had been human… well, let's just say grace had not been my strong suit.

I was the bumbling idiot sidekick.

But I was lovable, so that made up for it.

Morgan seemed to pick up on my thoughts and winked in my direction as he lowered his arms and stepped up onto one of the vertical poles to balance there for a minute while my sparkling white hide turned a wonderful shade of green.

Beware the rabid green Companion and whatnot.

I could practically feel Nova thinking up jokes to crack later on, and from the smirk on Toby's face she was sharing them with him already. I stomped a front hoof, trying to give them the impression that I was more than annoyed, but the sound was swallowed by the thick, luscious (and delicious) grass that, incidentally, matched my skin color at that moment.

Luckily, Toby got the idea anyway.

And the wonderfully mischievous child reached up and nudged Morgan's leg.

"Ahh!"

Down he went.

And I snickered merrily.

"Ow!" Morgan landed with a muffled thump and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He was beginning to make a habit of falling off of things, which I found extremely amusing, despite his carnival background. "You know," he said, wincing, "I don't think how much you guys like seeing me fall is a good thing."

I gave him Innocent Eyes and craned my neck to snuffle in his hair.

He shoved me away, hiding a smile. "And your Lovable Companion routine isn't going to work this time, Harlan." He fixed his mouth in a frown and regarded me half-seriously. "I'm upset with you."

_:Me?:_ I demanded, _:Talk to Toby! _He's _the one that pushed you!:_

"I blame you."

Toby laughed. "He blames Harlan."

Nova nickered. _:He blames you.:_

Traitors, all of them.

I growled under my breath.

_:Fine,:_ I sighed, _:what can I do to make it up to you, oh One Who Has Been Wronged?:_

Morgan nodded, seeming pleased with himself. I had let him win. I hated to let him win. And that was exactly the _reason_ I hated to let him win. All it did was give him a superiority complex a mile wide.

In other words, it rivaled my own, and as we all know that's just no good.

"I was going to head over to Healers to check on Dori," he said, "and since you were mean enough to coerce Toby into shoving me off the fence, which _hurt_ by the way, you can carry me over there."

Coerce?

_Coerce?_

Toby did it all on his own!

I noted, on that thought, that Nova stepped between me and her Chosen.

A few feet away, Morgan's eyebrows raised and he gave us an amused look before pushing up from the grass and brushing flecks of plant matter from his Grays. He didn't catch the pieces that were stuck in his hair, though. And I might have conveniently… forgottento mention them. Yes, _forgotten_.

"Hey!"

He was up on the fence again, the silly boy.

"Come on, Harlan," he waved a hand, gesturing for me to go over. "I need to get up on your back for you to carry me."

_:Yes, my Master.:_

Sarcasm? From _me?_ Little Companion Harlan? I'm appalled you would even think such a thing!

Behind him I could see Toby trying to decide whether or not to _nudge_ Morgan again, and mentally cheered him on. He decided against it, apparently. I suspected that Nova had something to do with it. Hm.

Obviously, I eventually decided to wander over and let Morgan climb onto my back. And, not that I was surprised, Toby hopped up on Nova to join us in out jaunt to visit Dori and Teague.

Like he couldn't have walked to Healers?

Lazy, lazy, Morgan. Tsk.

While we were walking across the space between the Collegia I hooked into my Link with Morgan and nestled myself right into a comfortable nook of his mind. Before you say anything, there was a reason for it besides my own inherent nosiness! I was cuddling down into Morgan's mind so that I could see through his eyes.

It's a technique that about half of all Bonded Companions can do, and it requires a particularly strong Link. Usually, our Chosen aren't aware of our being there and sharing their vision. On the other hand, some Heralds or Heraldic Trainees can do the same thing and share the vision of their Companions, and we are almost always aware of their presence. I'm pleased to say that my Bond with Morgan was strong enough that our shared sight could go both ways.

What? I sound proud?

Nonsense.

I'm a humble being.

A good, wonderful, all-knowing, mystical and humble Companion.

"Uh, Harlan?"

Blink, blink.

Woolgathering again.

_:What do you want, Morgan?:_

His finger tapped my neck and I glanced around, noting with surprise that we were standing just outside of the Healers Collegium. I had made it there without paying attention to where I was going and _without_ traipsing off a cliff or into the river or in some unknown direction that would take up who knew where.

I'm just that good.

Morgan dropped _gracefully_ to the ground. Gracefully, mind you. Grr.

And he and Toby vanished into the building, leaving Nova and I outside to wait. Except I didn't plan on just standing around and twiddling my non-existent thumbs, and apparently neither did Nova.

We both hooked into our Bonds, and I was suddenly sharing a surprisingly un-spherical and familiar point of vision. It sent me back into memories of my previous life, which normally I would have loved to dwell in but that time I pushed aside in favor of actually paying attention to what was going on around m—er, around _Morgan_.

Rows of doors on either side of me, some of them open and some of them closed. Beyond those that were open I could see patients in various stages of Healing, and behind those that were closed I could only imagine what was going on. Probably patients who were either more ill than most or just more concerned about their privacy than the others.

Whatever.

I wondered if the fire victims were in—

I stopped moving. Or, Morgan stopped moving.

We peered through a doorway.

"Morgan? What is it?"

Toby's voice.

Morgan didn't respond, and instead trained his eyes on the single occupant of the room we were currently looking into. A boy about his own age, skin terribly burned and blistered and with singed brown hair and no eyebrows to speak of. And pain filled eyes that were a shocking shade of crystal blue that seemed to pierce right through my soul… no, _Morgan's_.

A feeling…

Something…

_:Harlan?:_

I came out of Morgan's mind in a rush and found myself fidgeting strangely with Nova watching me, looking both confused and concerned and unsure what to do. I shook my head, mane flying, and managed to stop the nervous prancing I had been doing, though it took a great amount of willpower. The fluttery feeling in my stomach didn't go away, though.

_:Harlan, what's going on?:_

I… didn't know. It was familiar, what Morgan was experiencing, and I felt like I _should_ know. But I just couldn't place it.

For the first time in my life, I was speechless.


	3. A Feeling in Morgan's head

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**Notes:** Just in case anyone was confused with the tenses, this is Harlan telling the entire story to an audience, so it's in the past tense. Occasionally he speaks in the present tense, though, and that's just remarks that are directed toward the listeners.

**BROTHERS AT ARMS**  
**Chapter Three: A Feeling in Morgan's head. (Which, naturally, Harlan can't ignore.)  
By Senashenta**

I was cool. I was calm. I was collected.

Okay, so I wasn't fooling anyone.

And I'll be the first to admit that Nova was eyeing at me rather oddly while I half-pranced half-shuffled around, dancing nervously for a moment before I managed to get my entire mind out of Morgan's and gain control of the emotions that had leaked from him to me through the Link we shared.

_:Uh… are you alright?:_

My eyes went to Nova and I stared at her blankly for a moment before responding with a completely unbelievable, ridiculous and wavering question mark of a statement. _:I__ think… yes?:_

If I was her, I'm sure I would have looked just as skeptical as she did.

_:Then what's the problem? You're acting like someone is plucking your hair out one strand at a time.:_

Now that _had_ to be an exaggeration. I wasn't in nearly that much pain… actually, I wasn't in any pain at all. And neither was Morgan for that matter. I was just… I was just…

To be perfectly honest I didn't know _what _I was.

Besides a hyperventilating Companion, of course.

_:Maybe__ we should go and get you a drink… okay? Harlan?:_

Vaguely still, as I was half-focused on the utter bewilderment I was feeling from my Chosen, I snorted and bobbed my head in agreement. And when I still didn't move, Nova raised a mental eyebrow, paced up to me, and gave me a semi-serious shove, with involved heaving her weight against mine and forcing me to stumble forward to get out of the way. (Sideways, after all, especially in the condition I was in, would not have boded well and I would have ended up on my side and still staring blankly out at nothing.)

The knock jarred a bit of sense back into me.

Not _much_, mind you, but enough that she didn't have to push and pull me all the way across the Collegium grounds to where the Terilee intersected Companion's Field.

Thankfully, by the time we reached the river I was composed enough not to fall in when I leaned down to drink. In the back of my mind I could see Toby turn to me—Morgan—and then we—_they_—turned and continued down the hallway.

Confused, I whuffed and physically blocked the visual link between Morgan and myself. I thought I had already cut it, so it was a surprise to me that I could still experience what he was seeing.

No matter, it was blocked now.

_:Harlan__, are you sure you're alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost.:_

I turned to regard Nova, my eyes only partially focused, and nodded. _:I'm fine.:_

_:If__ you're sure…:_

I wasn't, but I didn't think there was any reason to tell her that. And since my throat felt distinctly dry I shrugged her off in favor of leaning down again to take another sip of water.

I paused just before my nose reached the stream.

Behind me, Nova craned her neck to peer past me into the Terilee.

My reflection stared back at both of us, crystal eyes dilated and emanating a haunted look and normally snowy hide having faded to a pale silver grey. In short, I looked like I had been given a personal tour of the afterlife and not liked what I saw.

I decided I'd had enough to drink and quickly turned away.

My head bowed, I found myself contemplating what had just happened.

(It was easier now that I was calmer.)

Silence.

The feeling that had traveled from Morgan to myself along our Bond was very familiar, and similar to the feelings that I had shared with him since the time of my Choice. But it was not the same, and that was what was confusing me.

Did I mention that being confused is one of my least favorite mental states?

Shuffling next to me.

_:Nova__?:_

She was eyeing me again. _:Um__… want to talk about it?:_

I considered.

While logically I knew that talking about my experience might help me to understand it, especially since I would be speaking with a member of the opposite sex, which would certainly bring a new insight into the equation, I got the feeling that I should keep my mouth shut, at least for the time being.

It was intuition and nothing more.

Understand that I was young then, only eleven years of age according to human standards but mature by Companion's. And with youth comes carelessness and irresponsibility. But it was true that I had already lived many lives before that one, and in my then short existence as a Companion I had learned to listen to the sometimes-annoying Voice that occasionally whispered from inside myself.

Previously, I had chosen to remain a Herald throughout my lifetimes, and the Voice was new to me. But, it seemed, Companions were gifted with a sixth sense of sorts when it came to certain situations.

Interesting? Yes.

Confusing? _Bright Lady_, yes.

In any case, I decided to listen to the Voice again this time and shook my head, blowing a frustrated breath from my nose as I did so. _:I'd rather not, actually. Not yet.:_ I sent a comforting feeling along with this, hoping to make Nova feel better. _:Thanks__ anyway, though.:_

Reluctantly. _:I__ guess…:_

She seemed a little put-out, but she'd get over it. Besides, the strange feeling I got had come _through_ Morgan himself, so it had to have been even stronger in him. If he was as confused by it as I was then he was bound to spill everything to Toby (and Dori when she woke up) and then Nova (as well as Teague) would

It was only a matter of time before I had two brothers in arms to help me figure out the problem.

If there _was _a problem.

Which was part of what I was unsure about.

Gods, it was frustrating.

I sighed and gave Nova an odd look when I noticed she was _still_ staring at me strangely. She seemed to have decided I was officially off my rocker, and I almost snickered at the mental image of myself in my Companion body trying to maneuver my way into a rocking chair and not quite managing it.

The moment of amusement was short lived, however, before I continued with my serious consideration of the situation that was (and had a good chance of remaining) unclear and the problem which may or may not have been a problem at all.

How was a Companion supposed to be mystical, all-knowing and humble with life throwing him twists and turns?

I didn't recall ordering a curvy road, thank you very much.

_:Hey__, Harlan..?:_

Teague this time, damn him.

I couldn't get a moment to think!

_:Yes'r__?:_

The poet, whom I had known all my life (and, I suspected, during a previous one as well) paused for a moment, then; _:so__…do you happen to know what's wrong with Morgan? He's a bit… distracted.:_

So was I, but Morgan wasn't poking around Dori's head and asking about _me_.

I immediately regretted the thought.

It wasn't Teague's fault. I was just being snippy.

Because of the problem.

Which I had yet to identify, and which may not have been a_ problem_ at all.

…

What in the nine Hells? I couldn't even make sense of my own thoughts anymore!

_:Harlan__?:_

_:Uh… I don't know.:_

_:You're sure?:_

_:Sorry, Teague.:_

_:Oh.:_ He trailed off, but his presence didn't fade from my mind and as Nova was looking particularly attentive again I assumed he was in hers as well. _:Because… he's just standing here in the doorway to Dori's room… and staring _

During his explanation, had I had the corresponding body parts, my eyebrow would have been twitching. And I'm afraid I was a tad short with him when I responded, which was not something I was subsequently proud of.

_:Teague!:_ I snapped, stamping my foot for emphasis and laying my ears flat against my skull despite him not being there to see, _:I told you! I _do not know_! So please just leave me _and _Morgan alone, okay!:_

His mind shrunk back from mine and Nova nickered in surprise, taking a handful of skittering steps away.

I regretted the words as soon as they had been said, but there was nothing I could do.

_:Teague__—:_

_:Ah__… sorry, Harlan.:_ He told me vaguely, _:I've… got to check on Dori…:_

A blatant lie, as I knew he was standing next to her bed at that exact second.

_:Hey__, I didn't mean—:_

But he was already gone.

And when I turned to say something to Nova I discovered that she had quickly vanished as well, either because she finally recognized my need for space or because she had been frightened away by my uncharacteristically angry outburst.

Alone, I stared out across the Field, trying to get a grip on myself.

I had thought I was alright, and the Voice had told me not to say anything.

Stupid little cretin.

I wished it was more than a part of my own thought so I could wring its neck.

I also wished I had hands, which would have made that job infinitely easier.

…

I could only hope that I hadn't managed to alienate my two best friends for the rest of our lives, however long or short they might have been. I would have to seek them out and apologize before they decided to have me exiled from Valdemar all together.

Okay, that was exaggerating.

Still, I planned to apologize.

I really did.

To both Teague and Nova, after which I would drag Morgan out of Healers by the scruff of his neck if I had to and have a nice long heart-to-heart with him.

That was the plan.

Really.

I would go and do it.

As soon as the turmoil of emotions that continued to boil in the back of my head had calmed to a low simmering.


	4. Kenna Dearborn

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**BROTHERS AT ARMS**  
**Chapter Four: Kenna Dearborn. (Whose face is as pretty as his name.)  
By Senashenta**

Here's a little known fact—even though we Companions have made a habit of Bespeaking only our Chosen, we can actually hear _most_ mindspeech within a certain distance of us. Of course, that goes right out the window if those who happen to be doing the _speaking_ have blocked us, and as Teague and Nova were both angry with me, that was exactly what they did.

I couldn't really blame them, though. I probably would have done the same thing. But it was aggravating, and the wonderful Silence that we hooved-types had struggled to keep for so many centuries was beginning to grate on my nerves, and for the first time in my life I had a sudden and shocking revelation.

The Silence that _I_ found so unbearable was what we forced the Heralds to put up with all the time!

I made a little promise to myself that the Silence would be moved to second place when I was dealing with humans in the future. What was strange about my little epiphany was that I was sure I had _been _human in all of my past lives, so really I should have recalled how annoying the Silence was long ago. But the even though the Gods above were a little more lenient with their information when Companions were concerned, they still insisted that we leave most of our prior-life memories at the door when we were reborn—so I couldn't actually be one hundred percent sure.

So even though I remembered being a bumbling-but-lovable sidekick type, I couldn't remember much more than that. Though I was semi-sure, as I met people in this life, that I had known some of them before.

I wondered if they had the same déjà vu feeling when they looked at me…

…then again, I _did_ look remarkably similar to every other Companion in existence, so they probably didn't think anything of it. Or, the humans I met probably didn't. I couldn't say for sure, but some of the Companions or other non-humans I came in contact with may have recognized me.

…

Back to what's important.

Basically, I was standing near the stables at the edge of Companion's Field, staring off toward Healers. Morgan was still there with Toby, checking up on Dori, and I could tell he was still feeling whatever it was had hit him, even though I was trying to block out the feelings. The most frustrating part, I think, was that I desperately wanted to talk with him about it and I _couldn't!_

Well… I _could_… but it would be me doing all the talking—more like mental pantomiming—and I really wanted some feedback.

Damn my Chosen and his non-thoughtprojecting self!

I didn't mean that.

Sighing, I swung my head around and surveyed the Field, hoping that I might be able to see where Nova had gone off to. I knew where Teague was; he was still with Dori. And I figured Nova had probably gone somewhere to sulk and complain at Toby that I was unbalanced.

Unfortunately, she wasn't anywhere in sight.

In fact, very few of the Herd were anywhere near me. They were probably trying to hide from the somewhat chilly weather by congregating in the bushes and tree groves that were salt-and-pepper sprinkled around the Field. I wished momentarily that I could be doing the same thing, but at the same time I knew that there were more important things.

Like finding Nova to apologize and getting her to talk to Teague so I wouldn't be shunned for the rest of my life by my best friends.

_Really intelligent, Harlan. Just because your Chosen is upset doesn't mean you have to take it out on them._

My eyes shifted back to the Healers Sanctuary and I pondered both the problem with Teague and Nova, and the problem with Morgan and—well, again, I wasn't sure if _that_ was a problem or not.

Across the grass, I spotted a ghostly shape in the yard of Healers and blinked, squinting.

That was one of the problems with being a horse, I found. Even though I had been living as a Companion for nearly twelve years, I still wasn't used to the spherical vision. I was constantly finding myself wishing I could see straight ahead without turning my head to the side, which, unfortunately, wasn't possible as long as I was who I was.

Anyway, I thought I recognized the Companion who was floating mysteriously around the main grounds of the Healer's Collegium, which was a miracle considering the generally bad nature of my eyesight. At least compared to humans, anyway.

_Cahir?_

I was surprised to say the least, that Cahir would be wandering around Healers. He was probably the most anti-social Companion in the entire Herd, and possibly in all of Valdemarian history as well. And he certainly wasn't prone to bouts of restlessness—I had seen him stand in the same place all day more than once, if there was nothing he was particularly keen on doing. He just… planted his feet. And didn't move.

And now, for some reason, he was pacing around the grounds of the Collegia that were assigned to Healers.

After pondering for a moment I decided to go over. I needed to talk to Morgan, anyway, right? And besides, now that I had noticed him, curiosity was going to gnaw at me until I'd agreed to go over and ask Cahir just _why_ he was intent to pace a furrow into the dirt outside the House Of Healing.

I still hadn't figured out where Nova was, but even though I was intent on apologizing, I knew her well enough to realize (finally) that it was best to let her calm down before approaching her. Lest her hooves find my nose before I could utter a single word

Nova, I had learned when we were young, had a bit of a temper on her. It wasn't that she was _vengeful_, exactly, but if you made her angry she had no qualms about letting you know just how she felt, and usually her hooves or teeth did the talking for her.

I glanced back at my flank, where a barely-visible scar marred the perfect silver white. If one was to look closely enough, they might recognize vaguely horse-like teeth marks. But they were faded into practically nothing, though Morgan had asked me about them more than once.

That had _hurt_, damn it.

I decided to stop dwelling on past bitings and head over to Healers, so I broke into an abrupt skittering trot, focusing my eyes on Cahir, who was still ghosting around rather suspiciously, and my mind on Morgan, who was supposed to be checking on Dori but seemed to be worrying about himself instead.

_I don't blame him._

Do you think that could be because I had lived whatever-the-hell it was with him?

Hm.

I approached Cahir swiftly, as he was known to vanish quickly and without a word if he didn't want to talk to someone. The thing with Cahir was that he was an enigma, even among the Companions. We knew about the same about him as a fish knows about flying, and it was something that was constantly on everyone's minds.

Not that we were planning on stalking him to find out his secrets or anything, but especially among the younger Companions he was something to gossip about. Almost like humans with their ghost stories. Haunted churches and barns and whatnot, you know?

No one was really sure why he was as secretive as he was. What we _did_ know was that he had always been that way. He rarely talked, didn't socialize, only got the stable hands to groom him when it was _absolutely necessary _and just in general did everything in his power to avoid being around others.

He almost had the same air about him as the Grove Born, but not quite.

I mean, he hadn't even _Chosen_, for Haven's sake, even though he was well past the age that most of went off to bring back our future-Heralds. Instead, he brooded silently and seemed more than content to be mysterious and stealthy.

Sometimes we wondered if he was actually a Companion at all.

I shook my head, snorting at my own silliness, and slowed to a stop a few yards away from Cahir. And for once he didn't seem to notice my presence at all. It was odd for him, since he was so known for disappearing at the slightest sound.

Instead, his head was down and tilted, and his eyes were focused on a handful of tall blades of grass in front of him.

For a moment, I considered just leaving and letting him be.

But then curiosity poked me again, rather rudely, and I made a mental noise that sounded similar to a human clearing his throat. _:Um__… Cahir?:_

At the sound of my voice he looked up, seeming surprised, but didn't respond.

_:Are__ you okay?:_

He stared at me vaguely.

_:You're__ just standing here, so… I was just wondering… uh, Cahir? Hello?:_

His mind was obviously elsewhere, and I shuffled nervously.

_:What__… are… you doing?:_

This time I got a response, though it was short. _:Nothing__, youngling.:_

Youngling? I hadn't been called that in ages… but then, Cahir _was_ nearly twice my age. Which was why his not having Chosen yet was such an oddity. In any case, after those two short words he shook himself and wandered off toward the Field once more, leaving me to stare blankly after him and wonder just where he had left his mind that morning when he woke up, for he seemed to have misplaced it.

No matter.

My eyes drifted to the grass he had been staring at.

_I guess Cahir's allowed to have off-days, too?_

It was the best explanation my brain could come up with right then, so it would have to do. After a moment I flicked my tail and started toward the main building, searching for the window to Dori's room with the intention of poking my head inside and checking up on everyone.

Not to mention apologizing for shouting at Teague…

An abrupt change of topic in the back section of my mind that was unofficial labeled "Morgan Calder" made me pause, and I blinked for a moment before realizing that he was moving again.

Which meant he wasn't with Dori anymore.

Which meant he wasn't with _Teague_ anymore.

Which meant I didn't have to go and stick my nose into their room.

I stood in the grass, half-following Morgan's movements with my own consciousness, and tried to decide if I was going to stay where I was and focus on my circus brat of a Chosen, if I was going to go back to the Field to locate Nova, or if I was going to head on over to Dori's room anyway, and tell Teague I was sorry for snapping at him.

There were times, most of them similar to that one, that I wished there were three of me. That wasn't to say that I was always shouting at my friends and snooping on my Chosen, or that Dori was always in Healers and Morgan was always being smucked upside the head with strange feelings from complete strangers (mostly because he wasn't an Empath) but there had been quite a few times in my life that I wished I could be more than one place at once.

Eventually, my mind was made up for me when Morgan started down the hall away from Dori's room and I unconsciously linked in with him once more, riding along in his skull toward wherever he was headed.

Wherever?

I knew he was going back to that room again.

Duh.

I silently cheered him on. Was it really _me_ or was it my blatant nosiness that was waving tiny nonexistent flags in his direction? I seriously doubt that anyone could have answered that question.

He walked purposefully down the corridor, and I could practically _hear_ his feet tapping on the hardwood of the floors. When he reached the correct door, he hesitated for a second, as it had been pulled shut in his absence, but then turned the knob and peeked around the corner.

The boy who was occupying the single bed in the stark white and green room was asleep, and I felt Morgan take a breath before slipping through the doorway and shutting the door behind himself as softly as possible.

He was handsome.

Of course, it would be hard for anyone to tell, really, as he was covered in angry looking burns. Anywhere that wasn't apple-red was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, with the exception of his head, and even that was mostly wrapped up. What could be seen underneath the bandages was singed skin and burnt hair, and he was still very much lacking even the hint of eyebrows.

And though his eyes were closed, both Morgan and I could very clearly remember the shocking shade of blue they were.

"What do you want?"

Morgan must have jumped a foot into the air when the boy spoke, his voice soft and harsh sounding, as if he had tried to drink sand. Beneath the harshness, though, there was a lyrical note that spoke of a wonderfully smooth tenor, but at that moment, his voice was probably in need of as much recovery as the rest of him.

Screaming would do that to a person, I remembered vaguely, and fire was definitely a cause for it.

"Um…"

Morgan floundered for words, and the strange rush of complex feelings began to return. I wondered if the other boy was feeling them too, though I really had no way of knowing for sure, as his eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved a muscle with the exception of muttering those four short words.

Even though I knew I shouldn't have been snooping in the first place, I felt the need to prompt my Chosen, since he was still standing just inside the door, staring at the patient in the bed with his mouth gaping like a fish and his cheeks turning a flaming pink color.

_:Introduce__ yourself, Morgan.:_

He was startled by my sudden interruption, but took it well, and after only another few seconds of silent pondering and careful sentence-structuring, he managed; "uh… I'm Morgan Calder… " with that said, the rest of the words seemed to come out all at once; "andIknowyoudon'tknowmebutIsawyoufromthehall andyoulookedprettybadlyburne dsoIwantedtoseeifyouwereokay !"

Oh my. I had to mentally sort that one out, and across the room the other boy seemed to be doing the same thing. His eyes opened a crack and he tried to raise a non-existent eyebrow, then hissed in pain and gave up on the idea.

In the end, I think what Morgan said was something to the effect of "I know you don't know me, but I saw you from the hallway and you looked pretty badly burned, so I wanted to see if you were okay." Or he could have been talking about the nightingale that was nesting outside of the window to his room in the Heraldic Collegium, but I'm not really sure.

I was so busy shaking my head and mentally wincing at his expense that I barely noticed when he asked; "so… what's your name?"

And after a moment of contemplative silence, the reply came; "I'm Kenna Dearborn, and you're right. I don't know you. So it's none of your business how I'm feeling. Now would you mind leaving my room?"


	5. Angsty Fun With Morgan

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their owner.

**Notes: **Wrote a one-shot about Morgan's Choosing. Look for _"Under The Bigtop"!_

**BROTHERS AT ARMS**  
**Chapter Five: Angsty fun with Morgan. (And Harlan, since he so loves to complain.)  
By Senashenta**

Morgan was depressed, and I was in somewhat of a conundrum as wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it. I mean, Morgan was _never_ depressed, but now he was sulking in his room and showed absolutely no intention of coming out unless it was while kicking and screaming.

So I was occupying space near Healers, still, with my head poking into Dori's room, where Teague and Toby were still waiting around for her to wake up. Teague was still fretting, but seemed to have decided to forgive me for me snappishness. I still hadn't managed to locate Nova, and all Toby would tell me (when I gave him Puppy Eyes) was that she was "around".

In the back of my mind, I could feel my Chosen sort of… brooding. As in silent, angry, depressed, sad—I had no idea how he managed so many conflicting emotions at once, but he seemed to be able to do it.

More power to him.

And he had been like that ever since the boy named Kenna Dearborn had very clearly kicked him out of his room. Not that I needed that incident to know what was going on—incidentally, on a somewhat different note, I had decided what was going on with Morgan. And I was right. It was a problem.

Um, sort of.

I supposed, as I pondered it, that it would depend on how Morgan took it.

And by "it" I meant the lifebond, of course.

I thought I could feel it, now that I had connected the pretty dots inside my own head, but I wasn't _entirely_ sure yet, so I hadn't mentioned anything to Morgan, even though his Poor Poor Pitiful Me's were starting to get to me. Instead, I figured I should maybe find out a little more about one Kenna Dearborn, as he seemed to have the ability to send my Chosen into shockwaves of angst and whininess.

Oh, and I was nosy.

_:Teague__?:_

Of course, Toby didn't hear me and Dori was still out cold (but breathing normally, despite Teague's insistence that she was going catatonic) but the other Companion tore his attention away from her to focus on me for a split second. _:What__, Harlan? I'm busy here…:_

_:Yeah__… uh, I see.:_ I tried to sound nonchalant when I asked; _:so… have you heard much about those kids from the fire, since you got here? Maybe the one just down the hallway? Maybe the one named Kenna? Maybe the one with the last name of __Dearborn__?:_

Okay, I admit that was anything but nonchalant.

Teague stared at me blankly for a second. _:Are you okay?:_

_:Huh__? I'm fine. I'm just…:_ I had already backed myself into a corner. Mental note for the Future Harlan; subtlety is both underrated and not as easy as it sounds. So I decided to just lay out my inklings. _:I__ think Morgan is lifebonded to him. Kenna Dearborn, I mean. The one down the hall. From the fire.:_

He continued to stare.

Maybe I should have explained a bit before just _saying_ it. I gave him the short version. _:When__ Morgan and Toby came in to see Dori, he saw Kenna through an open doorway and all hell broke loose emotionally speaking. I was Linked with him at the time, which is why I was a teeny bit out of it and yelled at you.:_

_:And__… you think it's a lifebond..?: _Teague asked slowly.

I nodded emphatically, despite the looks we were getting from Toby. The boy was seated in a chair in the corner, looking from me to Teague and back again, and I supposed it must be obvious by Teague's baffled expression that he and I were talking. Finally he rolled his eyes, and I supposed he was talking with Nova. And she was still blocking me. Damn her.

Or not. Whatever. I was too busy trying to impress my seriousness on Teague, who was eyeing me speculatively. _:Yes__. Yes, I very much think it's a lifebond.:_

_:Why__?:_

I blinked. _:What__?:_

Teague fixed his gaze on me and repeated patiently; _:why__ do you think it's a lifebond?:_

A moment's pause as I tried to put what I was feeling from Morgan into words. But at the same time, the little part of my mind that was logical was reminding me insistently that I had never been lifebonded, so how would I even know one if I felt it? And that little voice was getting rather annoying so I gagged it and shoved it out of the way as I continued to explore the twisting love, hate, anger and sadness that were radiating from my Chosen.

Honestly, I think it was the love that was the most confusing. Sadness and anger I could understand, given that he had been trying to see if the other boy was okay, and had been very curtly told off. I could even understand hate to a certain extent—it wasn't like Morgan, really, to hate anyone, but he was allowed his bad days (just as Cahir was, I added mentally).

But _love?_

That one, I really had no explanation for. Especially with the _kind_ of love I thought it was—not the love he had for me, or I for him. Not the love he had for Toby and Dori, or Kitty and the others back at the circus before he was Chosen. And not even the same kind of love he still had for his adoptive mother, Risa, though that love was somewhat akin to mine, I supposed.

I must have been muttering to myself as I thought, for Teague was looking at me strangely again.

Finally I shook my head and muttered; _:I can just… _tell_, okay?:_

The other Companion continued to stare blankly for a second, and my tail swished restlessly before his eyes flicked toward the door. _:I__ haven't heard much, since I've been a bit preoccupied with Dori.:_

Well, duh. I knew that, however I could sense a "but" coming…

_:But__… I _do _know that he was one of the… instigators… I overheard a few of the Healers talking with Herald Pol and the Guard, and they were saying that the boy who had been the focus of the beating was named Lavan. So I suppose if the child you're talking about is called Kenna, he's one of the bullies.:_

I whuffed. It just kept getting better and better. _:Anything__ else?:_

_:They're all from a high-end school in the middle class section of Haven, so he's probably fairly well off financially.: _Teague considered, _:other than that, I don't know anything… but I suppose you could ask around. Someone's bound to know more than I do.:_

Probably, I thought, I could go and press Satiran for information. Since Teague had mentioned Pol, Satiran would know something—the problem being that he wasn't exactly known for being what Nova would call a "blabbermouth"—if I asked him, he would probably divert the question or very politely tell me it was none of my business.

But it was! Morgan was…

Uh…

I concentrated on him for a second, to make sure that he was still in his room. And he was still sulking, so I sniffed and backed myself out of the window to Dori's room. Toby gave an absent wave, and Teague ignored me completely, as he was once again focused on his Chosen.

I often wondered if their Bond was deeper than normal—not that I wouldn't have gone completely panicked if Morgan had been hurt or put into Healers for backlash shock, but Teague was more concerned than most. And I thought the reason it was so strange was probably because he worried even when Dori _wasn't_ in the Sanctuary. Of course, considering the nature of her Gift, I couldn't blame him.

Still…

As I wandered out across the yard at Healers considered several things; the first was Teague and Dori, the second was Nova and if she would ever forgive me, the third was whether I was going to chance speaking with Satiran or not, and the last, of course, was Morgan and his problem with Kenna.

It was amazing, actually, that I could ponder so many things at one time. But I had learned when I was young that my attention span was less than nominal, so it was almost second nature to me to ramble to myself about everything at once.

In any case, I put Teague and Dori out of my mind relatively quickly, though I made a mental note to possibly have a chat with Taver about it later—the Grove Born would probably be able to answer my questions better than anyone.

Nova was also put aside right away. She would get around to forgiving me eventually, even if it took a few days; yes, she could hold a grudge, but I would pin her down and apologize as soon as I could.

Satiran… hm. I thought I might speak with him later, but he wasn't going to be high on my list of people to bother about Kenna, since he was a tad tight lipped. Again, I considered talking with Taver, whom was bound to know something.

Finally, Morgan and Kenna…

Sadly, I still hadn't reached any conclusions when I ambled my way into the courtyard and stuck my head into the window of Morgan's ground-level room. Or, I attempted to—I actually bumped my nose on the bug screen.

He had one, too?

The screens were relatively new to the Collegium, and I wasn't quite used to them yet. I wiggled my nose, sniffling at the feeling of the mesh, and then snorted. Inside the room, Morgan was laying face down on his bed with his face buried in his pillow, and, all together now, _still_ brooding.

_:Morgan__?:_ I said, and when he didn't respond; _:hel-lo Morgan? Would you care to join me in Haven or shall I reach up and pluck you out of the sky myself?:_

Without a word, his arm snapped around and he flung a pillow toward me.

It bounced off the bug screen, and despite having done the same thing myself only seconds before I thanked the Gods for it being there—even when I had been human, I thought I recalled, pillows had not been my favorite of all things to be hit with.

_Oh, they're better than… say, arrows, but I still don't like them. They make me sneeze._

I think I had an allergy to goose feathers or something…

"Go away, Harlan."

He still wasn't looking at me, though now he had his face hidden in the blankets of the bed. I watched him sniffle about the big meanie named Kenna for another minute and then sighed.

_:You__ know, being whiny and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to do any good.:_

"What do _you_ know?"

_:That__ your wallowing is beginning to get on my nerves.:_ I responded, then, _:this isn't like you, Morgan.:_

"I know." He grumped, "but I can't help it."

_:Why__?:_

"Because he's a_ jerk_, that's why!"

I almost snickered. _:You__ only met him once, and he's pretty badly hurt right now…:_

"So? Doesn't mean he has to… to… be a jerk." His voice had faded off by the end of that riveting sentence, and he finally looked toward the window, where I was milling in the flower gardens. "You ran into the screen, didn't you?"

_:Of__ course not.:_ I told him, stamping a hoof, _:are you feeling a bit better?:_

"Not really." He admitted, and pressed his face back into the bed.

_:Morgan__,:_ I began, already knowing the answer to my next question, _:why are you so upset? You don't even know Kenna, so there's no reason for you to—:_

"Harlan!" He shouted, and suddenly he was on his feet and glaring at me through the mesh of the bug screen, "I don't know, okay?! He was rude to me, and it just… it hurt! And I don't know why because I don't know him, and… and…"

_:And__—?:_ I prompted.

"And he's a jerk!" He finished, kicking the bed angrily. Then he dropped back onto the mattress, this time sitting, and slumped over to prop his head up with his hand, "I don't know why it matters." He told me, apparently alright after his impromptu rant, "but it does."

Well, I was very much sure of my diagnosis now. There was nothing else it could be, as far as I was concerned. So the question became, should I mention the lifebond to him, or let him figure it out on his own?

_Assuming he doesn't go insane in the meantime…_ I flicked an ear and tried to sound nonchalant, _:Chosen__, if it's bothering you this much, why don't you go back over to Healers? If you talk with him again, it might clear some things up.:_

Or so I hoped.

"Yeah?" Morgan demanded miserably, "and what if he just kicks me out again?"

I chuckled. _:Well__, I hate to say it but he _is _in Healers for a reason. Just insist on staying until everything's worked out and he won't be able to do much about it.:_ I sent the feeling of a shrug, _:you might even end up being friends if you invite yourself over for a chat often enough.:_

He leveled a flat look on me, "your logic is somehow evading me."

Gee, I wonder why…

But he stood up anyway, "I guess you're right. Might as well deal with this now and get on with my life." He headed for the door, and called back before it closed behind him; "I can pop in and see how Dori's doing while I'm there."

_:Okay__.:_ I told him brightly, then I half-skipped away from the window and the damned netting I had run into to meet him around the other side of the building. _Everything will work out, and I'll have Happy-Morgan back again._

I hoped.

Depressed-Morgan was beginning to get to me.


	6. When First Impressions Fail

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**BROTHERS AT ARMS**  
**Chapter Six: When first impressions fail. (There's always another chance for embarrassment)  
By Senashenta**

Morgan was walking—okay, _stalking_—over to the Healers sanctuary again, and I was trailing along behind him. Really, what else did I have to do? He and I were sticky-pasted soul to soul, after all. Plus, Morgan's social life hugely exceeded mine.

Sigh.

I wasn't sure if I was going to talk to him or not, as he was already muttering under his breath—so I silently debated with myself before settling on a handful of words and helpfully offering; _:at least he's cute.:_

"He is—" his words cut off abruptly as he realized what I had said; "—_not!_ Harlan, what are you _talking_ about?!"

Oh. Yeah. He hadn't figured out the whole lifebond thing yet. Duh.

I tried to look innocent.

Morgan glared.

I batted my eyes.

Morgan glared some more.

Not good.

_:Um, I was talking to myself?:_ I suggested lamely, _:about… Teague?:_

"About… Teague." He repeated skeptically.

_:Yes?:_

"Oooo… kay." Apparently, he decided no to pursue the issue, as he opened his mouth, then shut it, turned, and started walking away again.

I did not even _try_ to convince myself I was clever. I mean, I _was_. I _am_. But that particular excuse was weak at best and not a shining example. I kicked myself mentally and continued following him across the grass until—in short order—we waltzed back onto the Healer's Collegium property.

You know, in retrospect, the Healers were probably getting royally sick of having me constantly outside their door and walking on their grass (though I did manage to avoid any and all flowerbeds, thank the Havens, or they may have maimed me for life.) I'm surprised they didn't complain at me—or to me—or about me, even, though they probably did and I just never heard about it.

And you know, you'd think that Healers in general would be a little less patient than they are. Or a little more. I guess it probably depends on the person, since I've known Healers who had more patience than a rock, and some who had less patience than a jumpy rabbit. Did that make sense?

In any case, I half expected an annoyed Healer to descend on me (possibly with a broom or some other hard implement) when I took up a position next to the wall of the building and watched Morgan march himself inside. He was looking rather determined, too, albeit a little on the nervous side.

_:Remember, don't take no for an answer!:_

Until I met and Chose Morgan, I hadn't even known that "shut up" could be a feeling.

Now, as Morgan headed quite purposefully toward the room of one Kenna Dearborn, it's important to remember something: I am a very nosy Superior Being.

It's not my _best_ trait, I'll admit, but it's one that I do possess. So, as per the last time he poked his nose into Mister Dearborn's room (and almost got it bitten off for his trouble), I more than happily sank myself into the back of his brain and settled in for the trip.

Pardon me? A mind is a _personal_ thing?

Well, maybe where _you're_ from, but in Valdemar things are a tad bit different...

So I stood next the Healers, staring at a spot between my front hooves and probably looking as if my brain had finally decided that enough was enough and vacated my body entirely, while Morgan walked himself to Kenna's room.

For a minute, he stood outside the door, just staring at the wood and trying to gather enough courage to actually go _in_. Given how confident he'd been when we first arrived, he certainly did seem reluctant to go through with his plan—but he knew that if he lost his nerve at the last minute, he'd never hear the end of it from me—see, I _am_ good for something!—so after taking a couple of deep breaths, he grasped the doorknob, turned it, and shoved the door open—

_"AHH!"_

"AHH!"

I swear I jumped a foot into the air.

I _swear_ I did!

"Oh, Gods! I am _so_ sorry!"

Morgan tried desperately to cover his eyes, and had turned the color of a beet: Kenna, who had apparently been changing his clothing when Morgan shoved the door open, and thusly was stark naked at the time, made a desperate scramble for the bed, jerked a sheet from the mattress, tripped, stumbled, and then finally fell—

Right. Into. Morgan.

The two of them, with Kenna still naked as the day he was born and covered in angry and painful looking burns, tumbled headlong out the door and into the hallway to land in a heap on the floor beyond.

…

It was about then that I decided it was a good time to vacate Morgan's brain.

Even from outside, though, I could hear shrieking and cursing in three different languages: Valdemarian from both boys, with a little bit of Karsite and Hardornian thrown into the mix, cutesy of the extensive traveling in Morgan's background.

From the sounds of it, I didn't want to see the outcome of the situation.

I hightailed it to Companion's Field and didn't look back until I was all the way past the Grove, at which point I stopped running and substituted hysterical laughter instead. I had never been so amused in my entire life—and the somewhat—ahem—_interesting_ overtones that I was Feeling from Morgan weren't helping things.

_:You've been into the dream berries again, haven't you?:_

I managed to stop laughing long enough to look behind me and be surprised that Nova was speaking to me once more. For her part, Nova was staring at me and seemed to be trying to decide if she should be amused or concerned—or possibly still angry. Finally, she raised her nose a bit and flicked one ear in my direction.

_:You are completely insane, Harlan.:_

Tell me something I don't know? I shook my head. _:And you're my friend, so what does that make you?:_

_:Stupid.:_ She replied, and then sighed; _:look, I'm sorry I got so upset earlier.:_

_:It was _my _fault.:_ I pointed out.

_:Yes, it was.:_ She agreed. _:But... I know you've had a hard day.:_

_:It's been... interesting.: _I bobbed my head, nodding. _:and I am sorry that I snapped at you like I did... I guess Teague told you what's going on?:_

_:A bit.:_ She seemed to shrug, _:so... what was so funny?:_ I had almost forgotten, but the question made me start to snigger again, and Nova favored me with a dubious Look. _:Or _have _you been into the dream berries?:_

Ah, dream berries...

What she was referring to was a kind of blue-purple berry that, for a while, grew at the far end of Companion's Field. There was only ever a single bush of the things, and they were probably just a fluke, but they had some entertaining effects, not the least of which was intoxication—though they didn't do anything for humans, they gave us Companions quite a buzz.

_:No dream berries,:_ I snickered, and she sighed tolerantly.

_:So..?:_

I paused for a moment when a sudden flush of—anger?—flooded from Morgan to myself, and heaved a sigh of my own before addressing Nova's question. _:Uh... Morgan headed back to Healers to see that other boy—Kenna Dearborn—and—well...:_

I hadn't thought about it beforehand, but it was a quite difficult thing to explain.

_:How about I just show you?:_

Nova blinked. _:Uh. Okay...:_

So I gathered up the wonderfully amusing memory that was playing in the back of my head, complete with howls and cursing at the end of it, and just _gave_ it to her. As with any memory transfer, it took a moment for her to make sense of what she was "seeing"—and I could certainly tell when she did.

_:Oh my...:_

I'm sure she was trying to sound sympathetic to Morgan and Kenna, but the laughter that she was holding back was more than a little bit obvious in her Voice. She swished her tail, staring at me, and made a strange strangling-coughing noise. I was grinning the biggest mental grin I ever had, and perked my ears.

_:See?:_

_:Harlan,:_ she said, _too_ calmly, _:it isn't... nice... to laugh at someone else's misfortune. Especially not your own Chosen's.:_

Probably, I would have taken her more seriously if she hadn't been half-giggling while she berated me. As it was, I could barely keep from bursting into laughter once again, and I figured if I did that she would probably join me—the next thing we knew, we'd both be rolling around in the grass with our hooves pointed toward the sky and every other Companion in the Field staring at us like we were complete basket cases.

I could just picture the conversation with Taver—

_:Harlan, what in the Havens are you and Nova _doing _down there in the grass?:_

_:Well, you see Taver, my Chosen accosted a naked boy, and I thought it was so funny I needed to share the story, and Nova just happened to come along, so I figured she was as good a person as any to share it _with_, so...:_

—but as I was fairly sure Morgan wouldn't appreciate everyone thinking he was a peeping tom (or worse), I decided _against_ that particular explanation, should the need for one have arisen. Nova was still looking at me strangely, and still half-chucking to herself. I shook my head in mock sorrow.

_:Do you want to trade Chosen?:_

_:Not really.:_

_:Curses.:_

She turned to glance back toward the Collegium. _:Um... do you think you should maybe check on Morgan?:_

I considered.

She was probably right, not that I particularly wanted to wander in on whatever the hell Morgan and Kenna were doing. Which, given the frustration and anger and generally upset feelings I was getting from my Chosen at the time, was probably _arguing_.

I felt a little badly. After all, it was my fault he'd gone back to talk to Kenna again, in the first place—if I hadn't prodded him, he would have gone there, wouldn't have headed to Kenna's room, wouldn't have opened the door, wouldn't have seen him completely buck naked, wouldn't have found himself in an embarrassing pile on the floor of the corridor at Healers—

Damn it, I was snickering again.

Calmly, Harlan. _Calmly_.

I wondered for a moment if anyone else had happened upon the little scene. Most likely yes, as the whole thing had been rather loud, and the Healers Sanctuary was inherently quiet. Probably, several green-clad Healers had converged on the hallway within seconds of my making a break for the Field.

Havens...

Morgan was never going to forgive me.

Sniffing, I cleared my throat to get past the snickers, and pawed at a tuft of grass near my front hooves. _:I guess I probably should,:_ I agreed finally, and looked toward Nova again. _:Are you coming with me? To—you know—uh—check on Dori? Or—be with Toby?:_

The Feeling of a raised eyebrow was strong in Nova's response.

_:You just want me to protect you from Morgan.:_

I had to protest._ :That is _not _true!:_

It was _so_ true.


	7. Revelations Of The Ineloquent Kind

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**BROTHERS AT ARMS**  
**Chapter Seven: Revelations of the ineloquent kind. (Way to go, Harlan.)  
By Senashenta**

When Nova and I arrived back at Healers, Kenna was fully clothed again—or so I had to assume.

Both boys were substantially unamused.

Hugely. Monstrously. Enormously. Un. A. Mused.

I stood in the front doorway, poking my head into the building, trying to decide if I should venture in or not.

It wasn't that I was really worried about what the Healers would say if I wandered into their building; the doors in the various wings of the Collegium were specifically built to accommodate a Companion's bulk, should the need arise, and though I'd never been into any of the buildings myself, I certainly knew others who had.

Teague, for example…

The thing was that I was getting fairly strong _I'm going to kill you_ vibes from Morgan, probably because I had abandoned him during his somewhat—_ahem_—harrowing experience, moments before. It made me glad, for once, that he wasn't Gifted with ThoughtProjecting.

_Very glad… _

And I was honestly kind of afraid of what he might do to me if I ventured inside.

At least I didn't have to face them alone. I turned to look behind me, where Nova was poking through a sprouting of wildflowers, which were growing in patches along the edge of the fence that surrounded the property. She was obviously not paying attention, despite how amused she had been when I told her what was going on.

_:You'll protect me, right? …Nova? Uh… right?:_

_:Whatever you say, Harlan…:_

I glared in her general direction, but was distracted when Morgan's voice echoed through the hallways. I swiveled my head (and ears, incidentally) toward where Kenna's room was located, focusing inward a bit as I tried to catch what my Chosen was—um—_shouting_. Practically at the top of his lungs.

So basically, it wasn't hard to catch.

"What is your _problem!_ I'm just—"

"It's none of your business!"

"Do you act like this to _everyone_ who wants to know how you're doing? Hells!"

"I'm _fine_, okay! And I don't like being peeped on, that you very mu—"

"_I wasn't _peeping _at you, you jerk!"_

"Then why the hell did you—"

"Gods, I was just visiting Dori and decided to che—"

_CRACK!_

"OW! DAMNITALL!"

The yelp of pain—and subsequent exclamation—followed the sharp sound of a hand cracking across bare skin, and, surprisingly, didn't come from the injured boy—not that I thought Morgan capable of slapping someone while they were in Healers, but somehow it surprised me nonetheless. A quick and short surge of pain and anger flashed down the Bond between us.

_:Morgan…:_

I was about to relay the oh-so-helpful recommendation to stay calm, when Nova's nose bumped against my neck.

I hadn't even noticed her wandering over.

_:Harlan? What's going on? I heard shouting.:_

Distracted, I turned to look at her, even as Morgan escaped into the corridor once more, slamming the door behind himself. The sound echoed down the hall, rattling the windows as if the earth itself was shaking. I could feel his scathing glare on me even though I wasn't facing him, and from the expression on Nova's face and the way she seemed to be wincing, I wasn't sure if I wanted to turn back around at all.

"_Harlan!"_

Flinch. Twitch.

My ears went back and I looked toward him. Hesitantly.

My voice came out as a pathetic squeak; _:yes, Chosen?:_

"This is your fault!"

His accusation made Nova snort quietly. I would have glared at her, had I dared turn my attention away from Morgan. In the back of my head, a little part of my mind was screaming _"lies! All lies!"_ …but I knew it wasn't true.

I shuffled and tried to look as pathetically remorseful as I could.

_:I'm sorry…:_

Morgan's left eyebrow ticked slightly. He wasn't buying it.

I sighed. _:Okay, I'm not sorry.: _A pause as I eyed him slightly, _:and did he really _slap _you?:_

There was a short silence then, and Morgan lifted one hand to absently rub at his cheek. He had stopped a few yards away from us and the exit, but now he continued forward. As he got closer, the angry red mark on his face became more and more apparent. At least he was in the right place to be injuring himself… or having other people do it for him.

_:Maybe he should see a Healer about that.:_ Nova suggested.

I considered, really I did. But in the end I figured he'd probably just snap at me and leave anyway, so there was no point in bringing it up. Besides, part of having a circus performer for a Chosen was knowing undoubtedly that he had, at _least_ once in the past (or, in Morgan's case, many, many times) hurt himself severely.

I'm told he once slipped off the ladder on his way up to the high wire and landed on two other people when he hit the ground.

_Sounds like Morgan all right. _

A little slap certainly wouldn't kill him.

But I digress… again.

So, Morgan was glaring, Nova was staring, and I was… well, I was pretty much staring, too.

I _swear_ time seemed to freeze.

Finally, Morgan uttered a frustrated sound and crossed his arms. "I hate you."

_:Aw, that's not true.:_ I couldn't help sounding relieved. Morgan fixed a stern look on me and I sniffed slightly. _:So, uh… I take it things didn't go very well?:_

"Harlan…"

_:Yeaaah…:_

Silence again.

Nova was looking a bit bored, now that all the naked fun was over. She also seemed vaguely disappointed that she'd missed it. Crystal eyes drifted from me to Morgan and back again, then she flicked her ears and seemed to shrug mentally. I had to stifle a sense of panic, and whirled to look at her when she turned to go.

_:Nova!:_

I still didn't want to be left alone with Morgan and his Angry Eyes of Harlan-Death.

_:What?:_ She heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes. _:Harlan, I'm just going to poke my nose into Dori's room… Toby's in there still.:_

_:Please don't leave me alone with him…!:_

She was looking at me as if I were whining like a child. Which I _was_, but that was beside the point.

_:Harlan, please. He won't hurt you or anything.:_ Pausing, she looked back to Morgan… who was practically twitching in annoyance, probably because I wasn't paying attention to him and he had something to say. Nova quickly amended her statement with; _:well, he won't hurt you _much_, I'm sure…:_

_:Nova—:_

She completely ignored the plaintive note to my Voice. Sometimes I don't even know why I bother trying.

A flick of her tail, and she headed off.

"Harlan."

There are times when you just have to make a decision.

I was standing there, with Morgan eyeing me dangerously, on the verge of hyperventilating, my mind conveniently whipping up scenarios for the terrible things he might do to me if I tried to flee—but then I thought, what could he do to me _really?_ I weighed twenty times as much as he did.

I was also ethereal… not that he particularly cared right at that moment.

"This really sucks."

I just kind of blinked at him.

"I don't know what's wrong with me…" he closed his eyes, leaning sideways against the wall beside him. I continued staring blankly. "He slapped me, Harlan. He _slapped_ me!"

_:Uh…:_

There wasn't much I could say, really. Especially given the sudden flood of negative emotions that washed down our Bond and into my mind. Anger, certainly. Depression. And, most alarmingly, a disturbing sense of self-blame that simmered in the background of it all.

Nova had already vanished around the building, so I couldn't call for her to help. My Chosen was standing two feet away from me, seeming on the verge of tears, and despite how close he was there was nothing I could do to reach him or help him. My tail flicked absently, brushing against my back legs—and I finally sighed.

And there was the decision I was talking about: the only thing I could do was tell him.

So.

There I was. Standing in front of Morgan, knowing that he was lifebonded to another boy, knowing that I had to tell him that fact—and not having the _slightest idea _how to broach the admittedly sensitive subject.

I fear my mind drifted elsewhere while I tried to think of a way. The next thing I knew, Morgan was staring at me again, giving me a look that all but said _you've finally done it, Harlan, you've succeeded in growing another head._

That was about the time I realized I had been muttering to myself—and, since our minds were Linked, to Morgan as well. Whatever I was mumbling seemed to be having trouble registering in our collective brain, though, as he obviously had no idea what I was talking about. This was probably a good thing, as I didn't know what I'd been saying anyway.

_:Okay… Morgan, there's something I need to talk to you about.:_

His eyebrows jumped slightly. He continued staring. "What?"

_:Kenna.:_

"Kenna." He repeated flatly. I could tell I was losing him already. "Kenna Dearborn."

_:Yes.:_

The affirmation came out more like a question, and his eyes narrowed. "What about him?"

_:Well…:_ oh Gods, how to start. I shuffled slightly, looking around—as if there was someone or something that could rescue me before I managed to condemn myself to a lifetime of Wallowing In Angst Morgan sharing my thoughts. _:Chosen:_ I managed after a moment, _:have you stopped to think _why_ this matters so much to you, yet?:_

I had asked him that before, and he had told me he didn't know. I expected his answer to be much the same this time, and I wasn't disappointed.

"How am I supposed to know?"

_:You don't even know him.:_ I pointed out. _:Why does he upset you so much?:_

"Because I'm just trying to be nice, and he's…" trailing off, he glared back down the hallway a bit; "…he's a jerk."

_:Yes, you said that already.:_ My ears swiveled forward again, and I made a sound akin to a human clearing their throat. _:Morgan… I think I know why you're acting like this. And why Mister Dearborn is so irritable when you're around. And why it matters so much to you that he's being that way.:_

His eyes turned back to me, and I got the impression that he sensed doom coming his way.

_:See…: _

How to put this? "I was poking through your brain, and happened to stumble across a lifebond"?

Um, _no_.

Alright. So I would just say it straight.

"Harlan…" Morgan was looking impatient.

_:Chosen, you're _lifebonded _to him.:_

There. It was out.

Silence. Dead, deafening silence.

I fidgeted slightly, waiting for him to respond.

He stared, uncomprehending.

I flicked my ears nervously.

He continued staring.

Finally, I stamped one hoof against the grass restlessly—_:Morgan, I know this is kind of a shock, but—:_

"_No, Harlan!"_ I was stopped short when he snapped the words, shoving away from the wall suddenly. Before I knew it he was about three inches from my nose, glaring at me as if he were trying to melt me into a puddle of Companion-goo. If he had been a Firestarter, I would have had a serious crisis on my—proverbial—hands. "Are you _insane?_"

He was shaking, practically vibrating with pent-up anger and confusion.

Denial was high on his list of currently-active emotions as well.

"You're a lunatic! My Companion is a thrice-damned, stark-raving _lunatic!_"

_:Uh, listen—:_

"You're wrong!" He had never yelled at me like that, and what made it even worse was that he _meant _it. He shoved past me, leaving me to stare after him, even as Nova's head was poking back around the corner. _"Just leave me alone and mind your own business for once!"_

_:But it _is_ my…:_ I trailed off as he vanished from my sight. _:Oh, never mind.:_

_:Harlan:_ Nova was giving me a stern look from over by the edge of the building. _:What in blazes did you _do?

I heaved a suffering sigh. _:I made things worse, Nova. Infinitely worse.:_

And she responded without missing a beat; _:yeah, and? What _else_ is new?:_


End file.
